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June 1, 2006
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Karen Traviss' recently released Triple Zero, the second novel in the Republic Commando series, is an ambitious entry into Star Wars canon, despite a few pitfalls that conspire to keep it from being among the best the EU has to offer.
Traviss seems to have hit stride with her second Star Wars novel. Whereas ?Hard Contact? was full of potential, it ultimately came across as the cliff note version of the Quilera mission, clocking in at under 300 pages and feeling a bit rushed. ?Triple Zero,? while only slightly longer, feels more polished, due in no small part to Traviss? ability to more fully flesh out her considerable cast of characters.
Picking up a year after the events of the first book, the new novel showcases the men of Omega and Delta squads, clone commando units tasked with eliminating a CIS terrorist cell that has set up shop in the Republic capitol. Also returning for an encore is General Etain Tur-Makan, a Jedi Knight far removed from the timid padawan learner she was in ?Hard Contact.? New to the series, and to the EU, is Mandalorian mercenary Kal Skirata, an aging soldier revered by the clone troopers for his compassion as much as his tough-love training under the direction of the Kaminoan cloners.
Traviss? novel excels at character development, and nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Skirata. He is the kind of Billy Badass who will shortly be the avatar name of choice for thousands of fps players, but Traviss also uses him as a vessel to more fully explore the Mandalorian sub-myth among the larger Star Wars historical tapestry, breathing life into what has only been hinted at in past novels and comics detailing the ancient mercenary culture. Through Skirata?s thoughts and actions, we learn archaic traditions and rites of passage, the importance of family, and even old Mando words and phrases (complete with a glossary that, while conceptually borrowed from masterworks such as ?Dune? and ?The Lord of the Rings?, nonetheless gives a feeling of authenticity to the novel).
Also acquitting himself well is an ARC trooper known as Ordo, a fearsome warrior with a supremely agile mind to compliment his peerless lineage and physical training. Ordo is what?s known as a Null ARC, a product of one of the first ?imperfect? batches of clones, saved from termination by Skirata when he was a child and molded by the old warrior into a tenacious, if mentally unstable, commando.
'Triple Zero,' like Steven Barnes? ?Cestus Deception,? humanizes these clone soldiers, Ordo included, giving them realistic emotional weight, needs, and desires, and, in the process, provides an engaging social commentary. Like a great war film, the text brings the reader along for the ride, both by describing combat in vivid detail, and providing revealing glimpses into the mind and motivation of each squad member.
Also taking center stage, and becoming a supporting character in it?s own right, is the city-planet Coruscant, a dangerous urban battleground that is a welcome change of pace from the remote locales of many Star Wars novels. In addition to testing the commandos with the rigors of black ops warfare, the Republic capitol world sets the clones on individual missions of self-discovery by bringing them into close proximity with the lives of ordinary civilians, leading to interesting questions of existence and purpose not often found in the pages of Star Wars fiction.
Traviss also has an ear for Star Wars dialogue. It is a pleasure reading the myriad exchanges between Etain and Skirata, tentative allies fully aware of the thousand year old feud between their clans. More interesting is the paternal role Skirata assumes, not only to his clones, but also to the young Jedi General, a relationship that, while strained due to the messy mixture of combat and politics, comes off as completely believeable.
Traviss also excels at the brand of action writing that the Star Wars license demands. ?Triple Zero? is very much a Tom Clancy-style spy novel, shot through with hellacious sequences of intense violence, bookended by layers of cool sounding techno-babble and the off-handed soldier humor common to these stories. Clone flashbacks will prove interesting to Star Wars history junkies and military fiction afficianados alike, as there are many heretofore unmentioned references to the training programs on Kamino, portrayed in much darker detail than anything glimpsed in ?Attack of the Clones.? In particular, an exercise ground known as the Killing House sheds new light on the rigors of clone life, and its tragically short expectancy, while blessedly serving notice that not all of the Star Wars license is family-friendly.
Despite the novel?s general pedigree, there are some missteps along the way. Traviss, like Clancy, delights in lengthy descriptions of weapons and ?kit.? Those readers with short attention spans, or no interest in military hardware, may find their minds wandering occasionally as the text dives into the details of a soldier?s life.
Also problematic is the romance between a clone commando and the Jedi General Tur-Makan, particularly the ease with which the latter forsakes her ties to the order due to its inconvenient policies on personal attachments. Apparently it is becoming trendy in EU fiction to present non-standard Jedi archetypes, as Timothy Zahn shows us a green, timid padawan in ?Outbound Flight,? and David Sherman and Dan Cragg present another rogue Jedi who defies tradition and takes a spouse in their Clone War novel ?Jedi Trial.?
These issues aside, ?Triple Zero? is an engaging read, and will please fans of the Clone War era, as well as military buffs. Traviss has clearly done much research into real-world paramilitary operations, and it shows in her prose and the skillful way she leads her characters in and out of battle.
Ultimately, the novel provides a little something for every Star Wars fan. For the action crowd, there?s the visceral combat and stirring scenes of clones doing Mando war chants in full armor, their differing ranks providing a kaleidoscopic visual treat of yellow-striped pilots, white ground troopers, and random splotches of the colorful, singular commandos. For the techno-geek crowd, there are pages upon pages of diatribe about clone armor, gadgets, and weaponry. For those interested more in canonical history and/or characterization, there is no shortage of interesting material and engaging players, all of them skillfully drawn.
As Traviss is also one of the most humble and accessible EU authors (maintaining her own blog on starwars.com and routinely interacting with inquiring fans) it is easy to want her to succeed. If ?Triple Zero? is any indication, she is well on her way to best-selling status, and the novel serves as both an entertaining Star Wars yarn, and notice that she is one of the more talented people currently working on the license. Here?s hoping the Republic Commando books don?t stop at a duology.
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